Anonymous Gifts From Individuals, 1997

Anonymous Gifts From Individuals, 1997

$10 million and above.

1. $30 million to the UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (Minn.) for the Graduate School of Business from a Minneapolis/St. Paul-area family. The gift is believed to be the largest ever given to a college or university in Minnesota. The family boosted an earlier $10-million pledge, "because it feels strongly that there never has been a greater need for management education based on values and ethics." The gift will allow the school to endow as many as 10 new professorships and to create a $2-million scholarship fund that will assist minorities and students attending a Spirituality of Management seminar at the university.

2. $27.4 million to the HOSPITAL SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS FOUNDATION (Springfield, Ill.) to help pay for the new Women and Children's Center at St. John's Hospital. The gift was from a donor who wished to remain anonymous, said Sister Bernadine Gutowski, spiritual leader of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in the United States. "The donor required us to sign an agreement on the part of the hospital to keep the donor's identity anonymous," she said. "But it's fair to say the money came from someone who identified with our values and mission."

3. $25 million to the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Southwestern Medical Center from an anonymous couple as a dollar-for-dollar challenge to endow a $50-million scholars program in medical research.

3. $25 million to MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE in Clinton for the "New Dawn" capital campaign. The gift is unrestricted but must be matched by other donors over the next three to five years.

5. $15 million to STEWARD SCHOOL (Henrico County, Va.) "Christmas in September," said Jennifer Sgro, who works in the school's development office. Whoever the donors may be, they have ushered in a new era at the small school, said H. Gerald Quigg, a fund-raising consultant to the school. The donors attached only three stipulations to the gift. First: The school must stick to its goal of providing a high-quality preparatory education. Second: One-third of the gift is to be earmarked for a fine-arts center to be named in honor of Paul R. Cramer, the school's headmaster for 19 years who retired in 1994. Last: One-third must be used for the school's endowment.

6. $10 million to MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY (Milwaukee) from an alumnus and his family for a new library that will be named after Father John Raynor, the university president who died in November 1997. The amount was proffered as a challenge gift, and the donor has required the university to seek additional donations to match the original figure. The gift is among the largest ever received by Marquette.

6. $10 million to CENTENARY COLLEGE (Shreveport, La.), for unrestricted use. The college's trustees have voted to designate the gift as a dollar-for-dollar matching fund to invite additional donations to the capital campaign. "Thus we intend to transform this $10 million into at least $20 million," Centenary College President Kenneth L. Schwab said.

6. $10 million in cash to MARY BALDWIN COLLEGE (Staunton, Va.) This is the largest cash gift received by Mary Baldwin and among the largest given to a women's college. This gift is unusual not only in its size but also in its purpose, which is to fund several one-time projects. Founded in 1842, Mary Baldwin is the oldest women's college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of the United States.

6. $10 million to MARS HILL COLLEGE (N.C.) for development of a school of business and community science. The pledge is the largest single gift in the college's history. The donors, one of whom has long-standing ties to Mars Hill, based their decision to make the pledge primarily on the quality of leadership now at the college. "We are deeply humbled by the generosity of these wonderful people," said Chancellor Max Lennon.

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